Holga Camera Photography

The Holga is an inexpensive, 120 film plastic camera made in China. It has a problem producing quality photos which has attracted many photographers to add this camera to their array of equipment and many of the photographs produced have received lots of attention for their distorted look. There are many variations of the Holga camera from the 120S with it’s fixed shutter speed and plastic lens to the 120GFCN with it’s color flash and glass lens. Once you see some of the photos people have produced with the it, you may be convinced to buy one of these cheap toy cameras to play seriously around with. You can find some pretty good deals on Amazon.

Image by Oldtasty

Here are some great Holga images that prove that even a small plastic camera in the right hands can produce quality photographs.

The short answer… NO! The long, detailed answer: The only way to get your “film” into “digital” form is either to have someone scan it or to scan it yourself. Most “Lomo-Freaks” out there have their own flatbed/film scanner and tend to do it themselves to save money. One of the problems I have seen people having lately is simply finding a lab that can even process the film in the first place. Any Pro lab should have the means to both process and scan your 120 negs, and might even have the ability to run E-6 or slide/transperancy film… Read more »

Most of the Holgas out there have a little vignetting in them to start with. However, what you are looking at is what is known as, “Four Corners Dark”. This is when the Holgagrapher actually removes the 12-frame insert, or film plane, from the inside of the camera. They then tape up the inside of the camera and outside seams to guard against light leaks. The whole process is to put a slight bend to the film causing the four corners to be slightly farther away from the light coming in from the lens than the center of the film.… Read more »

this is called vignetting, and it completely depends on your camera. all holgas creat vignetting, however some specifuc cameras create more than others. this is what makes you holga camera unique! hope this was a help 🙂

It is extremely possible that color filters were used in the B&W shots. One trick the Holgagraphers out there use is a “stepping ring”. This is a metal ring that has two threads on it: outer & inner. It was designed for photographers who had one barrel diameter on their lens that wanted to use a larger filter on the end of the lens. The great thing about all of the Holga 120N series cameras is that the inside diameter of the lens is exactly 46mm. So, rummage around in your filter collection and decide which size filters you have… Read more »

I doubt filters were used, although I’m sure it’s possible. I’d say the type of film, the kind of Holga camera being used, and how they are developed are the main reasons that contribute to the photos looking like they do (along with lighting, composition, etc).